39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The Centurion in charge of Jesus’ execution witnessed the way He died, along with the supernatural events surrounding it and declared, surely this man was the son of God. He probably didn’t mean it in the sense that we do as Christians. He probably thought of Jesus as an extraordinary “divine man” based on his pagan background. But unwittingly he acknowledged more than he understood.
Along with the soldiers and all those who had stood and passed by mocking Jesus, there was a group of women watching from a distance. This group of women had been following Jesus and ministering to Him. While the disciples had deserted Jesus, these women remained and were eyewitnesses to His death, burial, and resurrection.
It was Friday evening and the Sabbath was about to begin. There would be no work on the Sabbath so they needed to get Jesus buried before sunset. Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council). He had not approved of the council’s decision to kill Jesus (Luke 23:51) because he was looking for the kingdom of God—He saw Jesus as the Messiah and was a secret disciple. He took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus so He could be buried according to Jewish custom. Pilate was amazed that Jesus was already dead and called for the Centurion to confirm this. This is another sign that Jesus’ death was extraordinary. Confirming that Jesus was indeed dead, Pilate released Jesus’ body to Joseph. Joseph wrapped Jesus in a burial cloth and laid him in a tomb cut from the rock. A large stone was laid over the entrance. Two of the women saw where Jesus had been buried.
Following Jesus doesn’t mean you need to be a leader or a preacher or a prominent person of ministry. God uses faithful people who will minister as He has equipped them. The women who followed and ministered to Jesus didn’t have a prominent role in His story yet God used them to quietly witness the events around Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. They serve as important eye witnesses to these events that are foundational to Christianity. Wherever you are and whatever opportunity God gives you, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, will you faithfully do what God gives you to do for Him?